Just happy to be here to post this

[Bird]

If it didn't shock me, it might have given me a heart attack. Glad you're OK.

[MikePA]

This was a 3ph trencher? Was there any damage to the trencher or your tractor?

[Kodiak]

Haven't tried that with a trencher. But the definition of backhoe is the "Universal pipe and cable locator."

[cowboydoc]

No this was one of the big ditch witches. It has the backhoe with the blade on one end and the trencher on the other end. No damage to it that I could tell. It was over 500' of pipe so I didn't want to dig it with the backhoe.

To all thanks for the kind words.

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi,

Glad you were not hurt!

<font color=blue>That's what they were trying to figure out last night. Their thought was that since the trencher was in the ground then the current went to the ground through the trencher bar and not up through the tractor. If I would have had the backhoe I probably wouldn't be writing this. </font color=blue>

Even with a back hoe on the tractor, you probably would have been ok...unless you stepped off...unless you stepped of at the moment of flashing, and put one foot on the gound while the other was on the tractor...

But that is a side issue anyway. Glad it was not your mistake and glad that all ended without injury!

Bill in Pgh, PA

[em14]

Doc you are lucky and I sure am glad you are around to tell about it ... You incident reminds me of an add a mfr of ulity locating devices had ... " We make the second best utility device in the world ... right behind the back hoe"... I have had some hard discussions with some of the utility locating services ... sometimes they just flat screw up (not very often) ... This is not the place to screw up as you can know ...

[frank_f15]

glad u are ok, bet u will be a little jittery the next time u use the hoe.[img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[gotrocks]

<font color=red> Pretty scary when the experts get it wrong. <font color=black>
You know what an expert is.... Ex is a "has been'
Spert is a "drip under pressure"

Glad to hear you are OK and the lights are back on again.

[Anonymous Poster]

Wow! I hope your heart has come back down from sticking to the tree-tops! (And I'm glad you're safe)

This gives me pause...I just can't wait to see what happens when I call the utility to have them determine where our gas line out in front of the house really is! It's apparently in plastic pipe from the street as the folks who did my location work during a recent electrical upgrade to my shop couldn't find it. Fortunately, I didn't need to go anywhere near that area, but will for some future landscaping projects. Sheesh!

[Trev]

Glad you're okay, Doc!

We had a similar experience last year, but not nearly as scary. The phone company marked out where their lines were, and then we had a guy come in with a backhoe. He cut a phone line and took out about 100 people's phone service. The phone company was just careless. We told the backhoe guy that we'd go to court with him to testify if he needed it, but the phone company admitted their error. I was chatting with one of the phone guys, and he said if someone cuts a fiber optic line when it's been properly marked, it can cost them up to $40,000. I guess they are required to have an ambulance crew on hand when they splice those optic lines.

Anyway, glad things are okay!

Bob